Easy One Pot Beef Bourguignon

It’s a bit nipply out there, y’all. Our little corner of Florida is supposed to get down into the mid-20s tonight. And it’s rainy. You know what that means: the town is about to shutter its doors and hunker down for the weekend.

I’m prepped. I’ve got a pot of Ma’s beef bourguignon simmering on the stove, some homemade hot chocolate in the crock pot, and we’re about to dive into a heated game of Clue while the Magic Fireplace roars on the TV behind us.

Picturesque, right? Except the chicklets are practically at each other’s throats debating who gets to hold the Clue answer cards, only three of the four people in my family will go anywhere near beef bourguignon, and the damn dog keeps demanding to be let out in the freezing rain to save us from invisible-but-deadly intruders.

One of the secret reasons why I love my mom’s beef bourguignon recipe is that I get to drink the leftover wine after I make it. Wine makes everything better.

And honestly, y’all, this recipe is so easy and delicious, I’d make it even without the added benefit of leftover wine. You can go through the rigamarole of making traditional beef bourguignon, but the outcome would be the same. Save yourself the trouble.

(No one in my family likes mushrooms. I leave them whole so they’re easily avoided. You should slice yours up so they’re forkable.)

1/2 cup dry red wine (or however much of whatever red you have on hand; just throw it in there)

1 can (10 1/2 ounces) condensed French onion soup

4-6 carrots, cut into bite-size pieces

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

Season the beef with salt and pepper. Cook the bacon in a large pot over medium to medium-high heat until cooked through (about 3 minutes). Add the beef and cook until well browned, stirring occasionally.

Add the mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomato paste and wine; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add the soup and carrots and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for at least 1 hour (I cook mine for 2 hours) until the beef is fork-tender. Sprinkle with the parsley before serving.

Notes

I have to double this recipe if I'm serving more than just the 3/4 of my family that'll eat it. It disappears quickly! And it almost always tastes better on the second day.